Food Quality: is good!! should go and try Service: There IS a way to pay with CARD!! Even though they say Cash only.
Here is the story:
I recently visited this restaurant with my partner. While the food was genuinely enjoyable and the atmosphere was pleasant, I feel it’s important to share an issue we experienced so future customers are aware.
When we were seated, the server told us that the restaurant accepted cash only and pointed us to an ATM outside. Because of that, one of us naturally went to withdraw cash. However, as we were using the ATM, the same server approached us again and suddenly mentioned that they could actually accept card payments through a QR code if the ATM doesn't work. Which it worked totally fine.
This wasn’t just a minor inconvenience, it felt intentionally misleading. We weren’t upset about the ATM fee; what bothered us was the way the information was delivered. Instead of being transparent from the start, we were pushed toward withdrawing cash first and only later told that card payment was an option. That kind of behavior felt disrespectful and unnecessarily deceptive.
What made it more concerning was that we watched several other customers go through the exact same confusion. Despite the restaurant listing debit cards as an accepted payment method on Google Maps, the server repeatedly told people that only cash was allowed. The inconsistency and the way it was communicated were genuinely disappointing.
That being said, I want to be fair: the food was quite good, and under normal circumstances, I would return. But the way the payment situation was handled left such a negative impression that I’m hesitant to come back despite the quality of the meal.
I hope the restaurant can address this issue and provide clear, honest payment information moving forward. Better communication from staff would greatly improve the overall dining experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Peyton Marshak
I visited Saigon Shack to celebrate a friend’s birthday a couple weeks ago. This cozy and unassuming Vietnamese restaurant delivers big flavors and great ambiance. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant during dinner service combined with the always busy street outside provides you a shelter to enjoy simple but delicious Vietnamese offerings. Make sure that you bring cash, and be prepared to settle into your seat to enjoy good company, this place is a standout among a vibrant restaurant community in the West Village!
I came in here on a cold, windy day, and the Vegetarian Phǒ was just what I needed to warm my bones and soul. The service was absolutely fantastic as well, I felt at home and taken care of in the space. My only suggestion would be to add a bit more of the Soy Protein to the Phǒ, there were only a couple pieces. Either way, I’ll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Laroussi
The saddest beef pho I’ve ever had, everything about this meal was average.. Ordered through Uber, and somehow the restaurant managed to forget a whole item, at the end glad they did because it would have just been a waste of food..
Food: 1
Christina Kim
Ordered the brisket pho. Brisket was tough and chewy, I even went early when they opened - the brisket was most likely leftovers that was overcooked. Service isn’t friendly. Wouldn’t go back
Maria Cuenca
Update: yep. Still the best Pho 🍜
Best pho and banh mi in NYC hands down. I’ve been coming here for over 5 years now and nothing compares. I love this place!
GiTae Kwon
Been here since 2010, great since day1. Highly recommend!! Very comforting pho & banh mi
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
amy
food was good but omg pls change the playlist, why am i hearing rave/edm music at 11 IN THE MORNING so overstimulating, couldn’t even enjoy my pho in peace
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jy Kim
Staff is so so, food is not so good as i expected, fried crab meat doesn’t worth it. Also I don’t understand why they don’t still accept credit card .
The complete package this place offers stands out. My taste buds were happy. This restaurant works well for group dining and offers a relaxed atmosphere. The workers were extremely pleasant, and were willing to respond to every question. It's a really nice place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Saleh R
I always come here, but today they had an attitude. Me and my friends were a party of 3 and almost all the seats were taken. We were missing one person and because the large tables were taken, we thought we could just sit at the small ones and pull up a chair when our other friend comes. They did not allow us to sit and told us that everyone had to be here even though it did not matter whether or not they were there as all they had to do was to bring a chair. We went to Hello Saigon instead. The food was better, more authentic, and less expensive and they had more seats.
John W
The lemongrass chicken pho was transcendent! Seriously, I never order chicken pho and it was so satisfying - smoky salty sweet savory. The noodles were perfect and it was a generous portion size. I cannot wait to come back again.
The servers were friendly when I arrived and left and I’m glad they mentioned they were cash only when I got there because it can be ambiguous at times.
The only thing that could have made the soup better was a larger side of bean sprouts, Thai basil or culantro. I can see why they wouldn’t want to give these out of people don’t use them but if personally could have used more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eli Block
I felt sad after my meal. The place has the feel. It has the clientele. It has the location. The bowl even looks right from the sidewalk. This pho should be straight banging but despite all that it does not live up to the billing. The pho chicken was rubbery. The bag of add ins was sparse. The broth was firmly classifiable as nothing special and where there should be an herbal almost medicinal quality to good pho broth it was just kinda sweet. Good pho should have the same restorative, ease creating, heart opening quality that every other cultures oldest soups share. Matzo ball. Korean chigae, pozole. The woman next to me at the counter said she had been going for 10 years and that they had indeed lost their touch. She said try China town. The bahn mi was alright but similarly nothing special.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Yang Wang
summer roll is very fresh but a bit dry, beef pho is only mediocre. Kinda disappointed bc I had high hope
Personal Opinion Summary:
Food Quality: is good!! should go and try
Service: There IS a way to pay with CARD!! Even though they say Cash only.
Here is the story:
I recently visited this restaurant with my partner. While the food was genuinely enjoyable and the atmosphere was pleasant, I feel it’s important to share an issue we experienced so future customers are aware.
When we were seated, the server told us that the restaurant accepted cash only and pointed us to an ATM outside. Because of that, one of us naturally went to withdraw cash. However, as we were using the ATM, the same server approached us again and suddenly mentioned that they could actually accept card payments through a QR code if the ATM doesn't work. Which it worked totally fine.
This wasn’t just a minor inconvenience, it felt intentionally misleading. We weren’t upset about the ATM fee; what bothered us was the way the information was delivered. Instead of being transparent from the start, we were pushed toward withdrawing cash first and only later told that card payment was an option. That kind of behavior felt disrespectful and unnecessarily deceptive.
What made it more concerning was that we watched several other customers go through the exact same confusion. Despite the restaurant listing debit cards as an accepted payment method on Google Maps, the server repeatedly told people that only cash was allowed. The inconsistency and the way it was communicated were genuinely disappointing.
That being said, I want to be fair: the food was quite good, and under normal circumstances, I would return. But the way the payment situation was handled left such a negative impression that I’m hesitant to come back despite the quality of the meal.
I hope the restaurant can address this issue and provide clear, honest payment information moving forward. Better communication from staff would greatly improve the overall dining experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
I visited Saigon Shack to celebrate a friend’s birthday a couple weeks ago. This cozy and unassuming Vietnamese restaurant delivers big flavors and great ambiance. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant during dinner service combined with the always busy street outside provides you a shelter to enjoy simple but delicious Vietnamese offerings. Make sure that you bring cash, and be prepared to settle into your seat to enjoy good company, this place is a standout among a vibrant restaurant community in the West Village!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brisket Pho, Sweet Potato Fries
I came in here on a cold, windy day, and the Vegetarian Phǒ was just what I needed to warm my bones and soul. The service was absolutely fantastic as well, I felt at home and taken care of in the space. My only suggestion would be to add a bit more of the Soy Protein to the Phǒ, there were only a couple pieces. Either way, I’ll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The saddest beef pho I’ve ever had, everything about this meal was average..
Ordered through Uber, and somehow the restaurant managed to forget a whole item, at the end glad they did because it would have just been a waste of food..
Food: 1
Ordered the brisket pho. Brisket was tough and chewy, I even went early when they opened - the brisket was most likely leftovers that was overcooked. Service isn’t friendly. Wouldn’t go back
Update: yep. Still the best Pho 🍜
Best pho and banh mi in NYC hands down. I’ve been coming here for over 5 years now and nothing compares. I love this place!
Been here since 2010, great since day1.
Highly recommend!! Very comforting pho & banh mi
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
food was good but omg pls change the playlist, why am i hearing rave/edm music at 11 IN THE MORNING so overstimulating, couldn’t even enjoy my pho in peace
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Staff is so so, food is not so good as i expected, fried crab meat doesn’t worth it. Also I don’t understand why they don’t still accept credit card .
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 3
BEST PHO EVER!!!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
The complete package this place offers stands out. My taste buds were happy. This restaurant works well for group dining and offers a relaxed atmosphere. The workers were extremely pleasant, and were willing to respond to every question. It's a really nice place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I always come here, but today they had an attitude. Me and my friends were a party of 3 and almost all the seats were taken. We were missing one person and because the large tables were taken, we thought we could just sit at the small ones and pull up a chair when our other friend comes. They did not allow us to sit and told us that everyone had to be here even though it did not matter whether or not they were there as all they had to do was to bring a chair.
We went to Hello Saigon instead. The food was better, more authentic, and less expensive and they had more seats.
The lemongrass chicken pho was transcendent! Seriously, I never order chicken pho and it was so satisfying - smoky salty sweet savory. The noodles were perfect and it was a generous portion size. I cannot wait to come back again.
The servers were friendly when I arrived and left and I’m glad they mentioned they were cash only when I got there because it can be ambiguous at times.
The only thing that could have made the soup better was a larger side of bean sprouts, Thai basil or culantro. I can see why they wouldn’t want to give these out of people don’t use them but if personally could have used more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I felt sad after my meal. The place has the feel. It has the clientele. It has the location. The bowl even looks right from the sidewalk. This pho should be straight banging but despite all that it does not live up to the billing. The pho chicken was rubbery. The bag of add ins was sparse. The broth was firmly classifiable as nothing special and where there should be an herbal almost medicinal quality to good pho broth it was just kinda sweet. Good pho should have the same restorative, ease creating, heart opening quality that every other cultures oldest soups share. Matzo ball. Korean chigae, pozole. The woman next to me at the counter said she had been going for 10 years and that they had indeed lost their touch. She said try China town. The bahn mi was alright but similarly nothing special.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
summer roll is very fresh but a bit dry, beef pho is only mediocre. Kinda disappointed bc I had high hope
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
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